Steadfast

I am so thankful to serve a living and active God who cares about His children. The Lord has heard my hurting heart today, and has spoken into some of the broken places. I am thankful. I am thankful for encouraging words from some unexpected places. I am thankful that He is speaking to me through His Word. Tonight during church I felt like the word that He was speaking into me was steadfast.

I am steadfast.

No matter what you are going through or what is happening around you, I have not changed.

My love is steadfast. You can trust in that.

Those messages came through His Word:

Lamentations 3: 21-23 "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Lamentations 3: 31-33 "For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love..."

Psalm 130:7 "O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love..."

Psalm 135:13 "Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages."

Psalm 136:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

The Lord's unchanging character is worthy to be trusted. He has proved His faithfulness throughout generations. He has proved faithful so many times for me in my life. He is steadfast. I can trust in Him.

In the midst of that message, the Lord also gave me the image of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. In tears and anguish, Jesus confronted the reality of the suffering that was before Him. He was honest and presented His desire before the Father: "And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me...' " (Mark 14:35-36a) He opened His heart to the Father and presented His request. But, He didn't stop there. "...Yet not what I will, but what you will." (v36b) Though in freedom He opened His heart and petitioned the Father, Jesus ultimately submitted His life to the will of the Father, even unto death. I want to live like that. I want to be bold in my requests before the Lord, believing that He is indeed able to do BIG things. I also want to live in submission to His will, trusting His ways even when the path is difficult. The Lord is saying to me: Come. Open your heart to me. Present your requests. Intercede for the lives of your patients, even when things look bleak. But, trust me. Submit yourself and your petitions to me, and trust me with their lives. They are my children, and my way is the best. The Lord is speaking into me freedom to make my requests known to Him, AND to trust Him with the result. I know that I will not always understand His ways, but I can trust in His steadfast love for me and for His children. I am thankful for that.

Addendum: I am also thankful for the beautiful sunset that the Lord created tonight. As I was driving down to Midtown for church with my mind full, the Lord gave me a gift in the beauty of His Creation. I loved it. I also loved that there was a random basket of bananas sitting on the edge of the drive-thru window at Starbucks tonight. I had a huge craving for a banana on my way home from church, and as I turned the corner to drive up to the window at Starbucks, I laughed out loud when I saw the bananas sitting there. I love how sometimes God speaks into the little things.

Good Fun and Good Causes

Just because contests are fun, and I like to support a good cause (especially when there's a chance to win something fun!), I've added a link to a fun contest on the toolbar to the right. Check out Profoundly Seth's blog for more info!

Weary

Hard days at the hospital lately...

Just when things start looking up, things start looking down again for a couple of the patients that I love. I don't understand that. It's really hard to watch a Momma try very hard to cling to her faith and trust in the Lord while her son battles setback after setback. I so wish that I could "fix" it for them, but instead I too cling to my Heavenly Father, knowing that He is Good and Gracious and knows what is best. Oh, how I pray that His best involves healing for my friends. That is what I am asking for...

Not Me!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.
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In the spirit of MckMama (whose blog I am definitely NOT addicted to...), here's my very first Not Me Monday post!

Over the past couple of weeks, I have definitely NOT made numerous meals out of whole wheat pita and hummus because I was too lazy to go to the grocery store. Being the good nurse that I am, I definitely know the importance of a balanced diet, and I would definitely NOT do that...

I also would NEVER be lazy enough to sleep on the couch (or even the floor) all night long rather than get up and get into bed after I have fallen asleep there. That would just be ridiculous, especially since there are 4 cozy and available beds in my house for me to choose from...

I did NOT manage to slice my finger open AGAIN this week while trying to make dinner for my community group on Monday night. After all, I am a 27-(soon-to-be 28)-year-old woman who certainly can manage to slice a tomato in her own kitchen without maiming herself. And after NOT cutting myself, I surely did NOT "fix" it with a pressure dressing made from paper towel and a bunch of scotch tape. For goodness sake, I am a nurse! I certainly would have the proper supplies laying around to bandage a wound!

I most certainly did NOT get the least bit lost on my way home from work one day this week. That would be absurd! I have lived in this city for 4 1/2 years, and I most certainly know how to get to my own home!! For one thing, I would never get frustrated enough with the construction traffic on 78 to take a detour from my normal route. Then, I certainly wouldn't take a wrong turn, drive in one very large circle, and end up making it home slightly later than I would have if I would have just sat in the traffic to begin with. That would be silly.

What about you? Anything that you are (not) willing to be brutally honest about?

A Good Sunday...

Homemade soup and Amos Lee...

...Such a good combination on this cold and gray Sunday.

Don't you think?

So Relaxing...

Can you tell??

P.S. Please note that we did NOT, in fact, all share one bed for sleeping.

Off to...

I am headed off to North Carolina this weekend with some of my favorite friends! Should be fun! What was originally intended to be a weekend of camping in the wilderness has turned itself into a relaxing weekend in a large mountain home in North Carolina. I am crying inside about the change of plans, as you can imagine. :-)